Saturday, September 16, 2023, marks the 36th annual Alabama
Coastal Cleanup held in conjunction with the International Coastal Cleanup to
remove debris from marine waters worldwide. It’s a good opportunity for
Fairhope residents to clean up along the coast and to also clean up within the
city (because trash on the sidewalk can easily end up in a waterway) to protect
wildlife and keep waters clean and beautiful. The City of Fairhope is once
again encouraging neighborhood groups and others to join in to pick up trash
and make a difference in the cleanliness of the area. Volunteers in the past
have included families, community groups, Rotary, scout clubs, environmental
science clubs, green clubs, Fairhope Educational Enrichment Foundation and many
others.
Volunteers will
receive separate bags to collect trash and recycling. Cleanup volunteers may
keep track of recycling and trash via their data card or the Clean Swell app
(OceanConservancy.org). The data entered in the app helps scientists and
advocates around the world tackle ocean trash at a global scale and fuels
solutions for plastic pollution.
Alabama
joined the International Coastal Cleanup in 1987. In 2019, the event
coordinators partnered with the Osprey Initiative to recycle aluminum and
plastic #1.
Paige Crawford,
Director of Community Affairs in Fairhope, says, “Last year, Fairhope’s Coastal
Cleanup yielded 3,400 pounds of trash from 387 adult volunteers and 91
children. Some of the most eclectic items collected were Christmas decorations,
shower curtains, and a car bumper!”
Over the
years, tons of trash has been recovered and disposed of properly. Crawford
says, “We would love to have less and less trash to clean up each year.”
Since the
partnership with the Osprey Initiative, some of the trash has been able to be
recycled, which is a big win. In 2021, for example, 2,757 aluminum cans and
3,696 bottles with a total weight of 263 pounds were collected and taken to the
Mobile Recycling Center.
While it’s
important to keep Alabama and her coasts beautiful, it’s also exciting to be
part of the International Coastal Cleanup, which takes place the third Saturday
every September and involves states and territories throughout the U.S. and
more than 150 countries. Since 1986, when two women at Ocean Conservancy
started the event, millions of volunteers around the world have collected more
than 350 million pounds of trash to clean up beaches and waterways and work
toward cleaner healthier oceans.
On Friday,
September 15, 2023, Alabama volunteers can pick up packets of supplies at the James
P. Nix Senior Center, 1 Bayou Drive, Fairhope, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sign up
will also take place at the Fairhope Pier beginning at 8 a.m. on Saturday,
September 16, the day of the event. The cleanup takes place from 8 a.m. to noon.
The City of Fairhope will cook hotdogs for all volunteers between 10 a.m. and
noon at the south end of the Fairhope beachfront park.
